


Don't Give Me Those Eyes

by BeforeDawn



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Marriage, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 11:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12863658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeforeDawn/pseuds/BeforeDawn
Summary: During the family's annual stay at Winterfell for Christmas, Robb Stark witnesses a strange encounter between his mother and his favourite Uncle and finds himself with a lot of questions. Little does he know, he's stumbled upon a family secret that's lasted twenty years.NOT A CHRISTMAS FIC, JUST STARTS THAT WAY.





	1. Prologue

_**Christmas Day, 25th December 2017** _

There’s only four of them left now, the soft lighting in the room provided by the glow from underneath the door and the glare of the streetlights through the window, where the snow falls outside, providing another layer to the white blanket that already lay on the ground.

Another snowy Christmas at Winterfell it would seem.

Robb, Jon, Sansa and Arya were the last ones awake, patiently waiting for the adults to go to bed before the girls return to their rooms. His mother and Uncle Ned were still bringing all the presents downstairs and they didn’t want to be caught still awake at this hour, so they kept themselves hidden in the boys’ room. They’d heard their Uncle swear multiple times, probably assembling something for Bran, Robb assumes, and they’d all had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing. It was not often that they heard such words pass from their sombre Uncle’s lips and so had caused a little laughter to stir in each of them, even himself and Jon, at age 15.

Their Dad, ( _Brandon_ , Robb often finds himself referring to him angrily in his head these days), had retired to his bed hours ago after having too much to drink, Aunt Lya had been feeling too ill and his Uncle Ben had been sent to bed, he works too much already to also be pulling the trying night shift on Christmas Eve, according to his Mum. And so, Uncle Ned and Mum had been left with all the toys to assemble. Nothing new there, he thinks, everything always seems to be left to the two of them.

They’d always spent Christmas in their family home at Winterfell, it was much too far North of the city for it to be any use as an actual home, but they always spent the winter months in the mansion. Some of the summer too – something which Robb couldn’t fathom as it was always _so cold_ , but his father always insisted, and his mother never seemed to protest too much – after spending some time with his family at Riverrun.  In all honesty, though Robb never minded too much, it allowed him to spend time with his Grandparents and even more time with Jon – his cousin, Aunt Lya’s son, who always seemed to spend more time with Uncle Ned or with him than actually with his mother.

Another soft curse from Uncle Ned travels upstairs and brings Robb out from his musings. The children all stifle another bought of laughter from the unfamiliar sound coming from their Uncle, they all calm down after a moment and go back to what they were doing. Sansa, however, remained distracted and she let out a long sigh which Robb knew meant that she was about to ask a question. The inevitable came a few moments later when she gave up the pretence of reading and put her book down, turning her attention to where the boys sat, Arya sandwiched between them. “Jon.” She said quietly.

Jon peaked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow to indicate he’d heard her before she continued. “Has – does…” She stammered and even in the darkened room he could see a blush colour her features. “Can you ever remember Uncle Ned having a girlfriend?”

Robb let out a sigh, ever since turning ten, just a year older than Arya is now, she had been obsessed with romance. Relating every scenario she could with TV shows and songs, forever banging on about this boy or the next (he feared the day she ever brought a boy home, having himself and Jon to deal with as well as Brandon and Uncle Ned) and had got Mum to tell her how she met Brandon a countless number of times. His sister was a hopeless romantic it seemed. But Robb couldn’t help but be curious at his sister’s question – _had Uncle Ned ever had a girlfriend_ – not one that he could ever recall, Jon too, judging by the way he furrowed his brows.

“Not that I can remember.” He hears Jon answer after a moment, his phone now lay forgotten as he continued to consider Sansa’s question. “Why do you ask?”

She tucks her bookmark in place and scoots closer to the boys, the conversation has now captured her full interest. “It just - Uncle Ned’s always been such a family man, you know? And he seems like the kind of guy who’d have a wife and kids – I mean just look at how he is with us! Do none of the rest of you think it’s strange that he’s never brought a girl home? Like ever?”

Robb can’t help but think that his sister has a point, his Uncle’s been at more football games and dance recitals than he can remember his father ever being at, he also always bought them the best presents – joint first with their mum, of course – and he always made sure to spend some one to one time with all of them. Not even to mention that he raised Jon while he was for Lyanna to step up and take responsibility for him. It is a little strange¸ Robb admits to himself while he thought over all Uncle Ned did and all the things his father didn’t.

He feels Arya shift next to him, his interest peaked at the conversation about her favourite Uncle. Jon shrugs. “I don’t know Sansa – maybe he’s not a relationship kind of guy, or he doesn’t like commitment or maybe he’d prefer just to be an Uncle. There could be a million reasons why Uncle Ned doesn’t bring girls home. Maybe he wants to keep his private life private.”

Robb finds himself nodding in agreement. “Maybe he just hasn’t found the right person yet – hell, maybe he’s even gay, have you seen him with Robert – ouch!” He lifts a hand to the back of his head and gives it a little rub, shooting a glare at Arya beside him and then giving Jon one when he heard him snicker. “Uncle Ned isn’t gay.” She stated, a frown on her face. “Not with Robert, at least.” 

He heard a sigh come from Sansa. “I just really want Uncle Ned to be happy because he really deserves – “Her sentence was cut short by Robb covering her mouth with his hand. There had been no curses from Uncle Ned for a suspicious amount of time, he’d noticed and using his years of experience from staying up with Jon, he knew that indicated that they were done with the presents and would be heading upstairs.

Putting a finger over his lips and removing his hand from his sister’s face, he creeps over to the door and gently pulls it open a little, he hears their footfalls grow nearer and their hushed whispers gradually grow louder. He’s careful to keep the door open just enough so that he can see when they will depart to their rooms and is hopeful that they’ll be too tired after all their work to notice him peeking out of the door.

“I mean really who knew that a Star Wars model could have so many damn different pieces to fit together and stickers, _oh my god_ Cat, those damn stickers. If I never see another sticker in my life, I’ll die a happy man.”

“I’m forever thankful that Sansa is out of her doll phase and Arya never had one because we all know those were a damn nightmare to set up, with all the little pieces of furniture – “

“It’s worth it though, to see their faces when they wake up.”

He can see them now through the gap he’s peeking through in the door, they both look exhausted and he feels awful that Rickon’s going to wake them up in a few hours. Maybe he can find a way to keep his three-year-old brother distracted for another hour or two to let them both catch a little more sleep. How hard can it really be to keep a small boy in place for just a little while?

His Mum stretches, her arms raised above her head and she lets out a quiet groan. “I just really need to sleep now.” Uncle Ned chuckles, “you and me both.” It’s after that moment that a weird thing happens – they’re hugging. Don’t get him wrong, he’s seen his Uncle and his mother hug before – quick hellos and goodbyes, on New Year’s, on their birthdays – and they’ve always been close, his Mum being one of the few people to bring out the witty and fun side to his Uncle, but he’s never seen anything quite like this before.

It’s more of an embrace than a hug, Robb thinks, his mum is pulled flush against him and his Uncle’s chin rests on his Mum’s head and her face is buried in his sweater. Robb can’t help but think that it's more intimate than anything he’s ever seen exchanged between his parents. His Uncle murmurs something into his mother’s hair that he doesn’t catch, and his mother remains in his embrace a moment longer. She tries to pull away, but his Uncle continues to hold her close, he doesn’t quite catch what was said again, but it sounds something like “just a moment a longer.”

Then after another few moments, they’re pulling back and exchange smiles that almost seem sad, his Uncle kisses his mother’s forehead and then she disappears into her room and his Uncle into his. He turns back into the room to face the others and gives a nod. The girls quietly get up and go to the hallway and Robb clicks the door shut as quietly as he can behind them. Jon climbs into his bed and he slips into his.

He briefly wonders if he should mention to Jon what he saw, just purely from the strange nature of the encounter, but he can’t seem to form the words. There was something about what he just saw that seemed so intimate that he felt he should keep it to himself. It’s not like anything happened anyway – it was just a hug and they were probably just so close together because they were leaning on each other because they’re exhausted and they’re such good friends -  

“Merry Christmas, Robb.”

“Merry Christmas, Jon.”

Robb put a stop to the ramblings in his mind, he was too tired and he was sure that he was overthinking everything he just saw. He closes his eyes and lets sleep claim him.

* * *

 

As it turns out, it's pretty easy to keep his littlest brother entertained for a few hours the next morning, but eventually, the boy does begin to squirm, so they set off to wake up the household and soon enough everyone is clamouring downstairs to get their presents. Uncle Ned and his Mum did an excellent job setting everything up and he had to suppress a laugh a little when his Uncle keeps Rickon a good distance away from the Star Wars model at all times for fear of him smashing it.

Dinner is the happy affair it usually is, although Robb notices that Brandon drinks more than he should and Aunt Lyanna is seeming to try her hardest to keep up with him. _Even when she has straightened herself out_ , _she still goes a little heavy on the drink_. He looks for Jon, knowing that he’s always hated his mother’s tendency towards alcohol, but relaxes when he realises that his own mother has already distracted him, as she got him to show her the new features on the Surface Pro that Uncle Ned had bought him for Christmas.

As they all go through the regular Christmas activities, Robb can’t help but notice his Mum and Uncle together after what he saw last night. It’s the way his Mum refills his Uncle’s coffee cup as soon as its empty or how his Uncle is almost constantly watching his Mum if he’s not interacting with one of them. It’s weird, he thinks, because he’s pretty sure they’ve always been this way and it seems so natural to them that he’d never gave it a second thought. But as he thinks over it now, he can’t help but notice that they seem more like a couple than his parents do – they certainly seem to talk a lot more than his parents do these days.

Later, when all is said and done, Robb finds his Uncle alone on the Balcony. His Mum and Uncle Ned had both put Bran and Rickon to bed, having tired themselves out after numerous battles with their new Nerf Guns. He’d stepped out for a moment to cool himself down when he’d stumbled across his Uncle, quietly leaning on the balcony, seemingly lost in thought. He looked a little sad, Robb thought, and his mind couldn’t help but drift back to the conversation he’d had with Sansa last night – _don’t you think it’s weird he’s never had a girlfriend?_ With that, another memory from the previous night slipped into his head, his Uncle holding his Mum so tightly in the wee hours of the morning.

_Is Uncle Ned Lonely?_

“Mum could never understand why someone would need to cool down in the North.” His Mother had come from much farther South where it was warmer and could never fully adapt to the cooler climate in the North. Even though Robb had inherited his mother’s looks, he’d inherited the Stark’s tolerance of the cold and often found himself too warm in the slightly warmer climate of the city, much to his mum’s disbelief.

Uncle Ned chuckled, turning to look at Robb. “No, she never could get used to the cold.” They lapsed into silence but Robb could still hear the thoughts running round in his head. He wants to ask but he’s so scared it’ll come out wrong. “Uncle Ned,” he begins, “you’ve never brought a girl home.”

He curses his mother’s looks as he feels his face grow hot, a telltale sign that a blush has begun to form on his cheeks. His Uncle turns to him, cocking a brow. “No.” He states. “I haven’t.”

Robb sighs as he sees his Uncle isn’t going to say much more on the subject without prodding. The look in his Uncle Ned’s eyes is confused, but there also seems to be something else there, he almost looks a little guarded. “It’s just, you seem like a family guy, you know? With the big house and the four-door car and the kids that leave messes everywhere. And the wife, who helps pay for the house and the car and looks after the kids. And if you brought girls home, it would make sense why you didn’t have all those things, because you hadn’t found _the one_ or whatever. But you never bring anyone home, except occasionally Robert and unless you and him have something going on – which is unlikely, he sleeps with _far too many women_ – it just doesn’t make sense. So, what gives?”

His Uncle looks a little stunned and Robb looks at him expectantly for an answer, because the whole damn thing didn’t add up in his head. His Uncle turns away from him and looks out of the balcony silently and remains so for several moments. Thinking that his Uncle wouldn’t give an answer, Robb turns to leave, a little embarrassed by his outburst.

“I’m not the family guy.” He stops and spins on his heel when he hears his Uncle speak. He doesn’t turn back to face him, instead, he stares fixated at a far-off spot in the distance as he speaks. “I don’t want the family life, I work away a lot now and I’m not around as much. I wouldn’t be any good at it, the whole four-door car, wife thing. I’m okay with my life how it is.”

Robb turns to go, not wanting to bug his Uncle more than he felt he already had. He slips back into the family festivities, where Brandon and Aunt Lyanna are drunkenly dancing to a Christmas tune and Arya was showing their Mum something on her Xbox. He tried to shake the conversation he’d just had from his head and be satisfied with the answer he got, but the sad faraway look in his Uncle’s eyes told him that it wasn’t the truth.

Maybe there is more to it, maybe not.

Maybe it’s a love story that goes back twenty years.


	2. The Night We Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve 1997. Catelyn Tully meets the Starks for the first time

_I had all and then most of you_  
_Some and now none of you_  
_Take me back to the night we met_  
_I don't know what I'm supposed to do_  
_Haunted by the ghost of you_  
_Take me back to the night we met_

\- The Night we met, Lord Hutton

**Christmas eve, 24 th December 1997**

“You’re doing it again.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

With a sigh, Cat stopped drumming her fingers on the dashboard and sat back in her car seat, taking in the view from the window. She’d never been this far North in her life and she’d never seen so much snow before. Everything in sight seemed to be covered by a thin layer of white, like the whole land had been covered in a white blanket and tucked in for the night, even though it was only mid-afternoon.

She felt like she was going to freeze to death.

“You need to stop worrying, my family will love you. You were worried about me meeting your family and that couldn’t have gone better.”

She turned to face her driving companion, Brandon Stark. Older, handsome, ever mysterious Brandon Stark. A part of her still couldn’t fully believe how she ended up here, that she was actually driving North to meet Brandon Stark’s family, who just so happened to be her boyfriend.

It was somewhat of a whirlwind romance. They’d met at a party of a mutual friend; Jaime Lannister and had ended up have one too many drinks, which resulted in the two of them making out in a closet by the end of the night. Cat hadn’t expected much from there, Brandon had a reputation as a player and she didn’t sleep with him, not because she was a prude as most thought her to be due to her Catholic upbringing, just because she didn’t want to be thought of as easy. But Brandon had relentlessly perused her, and she caved, which naturally progressed into a relationship and then lead them here, to meeting each other’s families.

A part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Brandon had been nothing but kind since they started dating and seemed to have the patience of a saint when she didn’t put out for the first six months of the relationship. Surely a boy like him wouldn’t just change? But it seemed he had, and the fact made her heart sing with joy. It seemed she had found something truly special at 18 years old.

“You’re more charming than I am – and you know it! – They’re going to think you’ve brought some awkward fool home to meet them.” Brandon chuckled in response and glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. “They’re certainly going to think you a fool if you come out the car this jittery and nervous. _Breathe,_ Cat. It will be fine, my father still doesn’t believe I actually have a steady girlfriend, so will be in awe of you the entire time, my sister is sixteen, so I’m sure the two of you will find something to talk about. Ben’s going to be excited about having a pretty girl in the house – he’s at the age when he’s starting to notice girls – and you’ll be lucky if Ned speaks five words to you the entire week you’re here.”

“Why’s he not speaking to me?”

“Because he’s quiet. He’s a quiet person.”

“What if he’s not talking to me because he doesn’t like me?”

“He’s going to like you, Cat. Now you might want to consider what I said about being nervous and jittery, because we’re here.”

Cat watched out the window as the car rounded the bend and a beautiful stone house pulled into view. It was huge, it looked somewhat bigger than Riverrun was and was surrounded by a wood of thick trees. Someone had dug a path into the driveway which allowed Brandon to pull the car up without any hindrances. As he parked the car and shut off the engine, he turned to face her once more, offering a small smile.

“You ready?”

“Not at all.”

“Fantastic, let’s go.”

“Brandon wait, if I could have just another moment – “but her plea fell on deaf ears, he’d already bounced out of the car and was retrieving the bags from the trunk. With a small sigh and a silent prayer to help her gather her courage, she pushed her door open and followed him as he leapt up the steps and swung the door open to his family’s home.

The first thing that hit Cat upon stepping in was how _warm_ the house was. She hadn’t expected it to be from the outside, the cold stone exterior and the sheer size of the place had her thinking that she perhaps hadn’t packed enough sweaters. But upon stepping inside, she was proved wrong. The place had a very homey feel to it, with hardwood floors and pictures covering the walls.

“Hello?” Brandon called, “I’m home.” His announcement is met with silence and she begins to think that maybe no-one is home, but in the blink of an eye, a mass of limbs and black hair had crashed into Brandon with a cry of his name. He responded the gesture with a laugh after he’d recovered from the blow. “Hello, little wolf.”

It’s only when he says something that she manages to get a glimpse of the figure’s face. It’s a young boy of thirteen or so, at the awkward stage where your limbs seem entirely too long for the size of your body and his hair can’t seem to decide which way it wants to go. Cat summarises that it must be the youngest of the Stark siblings, Benjen.

“…and you were meant to be home _days ago_ – where have you been?” Ben had been talking to his brother non-stop since the moment he collided with him and it seems that now he has decided to come up for air. Brandon smiles and offers up a laugh. “Well, if any of you actually believed a word I said, you would’ve known that I was spending time with Cat and her family down south.”

It’s the first time Ben notices her, a small glance towards her and the boy’s ears begin to turn red. “Hello – Benjen I assume.” She offers up what she hopes is a friendly smile and is received with a shy nod of his head. It’s such a contrast from the boy who greeted his brother a few moments ago and she can’t help but to chuckle a little to herself. _So much like Edmure_ , she thinks, remembering how shy her little brother had been around Brandon the entire stay at Riverrun, clinging to Cat whenever he could.

“Where’s everyone else? I didn’t think this was a one-man welcoming party.” Ben looks back to his brother when he begins to speak, looking slightly more relaxed at the reminder that his brother was still there. “Ned and Dad went to go chop more wood for the fire and Lya went to help, but it’s more likely that she’s trying to sneak a cigarette when she thinks they aren’t looking.”

Brandon laughed again and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Well then, it looks like you’re going to have to help me lug all these bags up to the room. Think you’re strong enough, little wolf?”

Ben met the challenge with a grin that was oh-so-familiar and the three of them set to work bringing the various bags up to the room they would be sharing and placing the presents they’d brought under one the tree in the living room. She watched as Brandon and Ben exchanged smiles and the proud ruffle he gave the younger boy’s hair when they’d managed to carry everything upstairs.

Timing is a funny thing, Cat thinks, because as they come down the stairs they can hear voices from the living room area, presumably stocking up the fire with the wood they’d just brought inside. As she approaches, she can feel her nerves building, herself and Lyanna seemed so different from what Brandon had told her, what if they didn’t get along? Ned was only a year older than herself, what if they couldn’t find any common ground? What if, God forbid, his father didn’t approve of her?

She wishes Brandon would stop and offer her a moment's comfort before meeting the entirety of his family, as she did when he got nervous before meeting her father and two siblings, she’d spoken to him softly in the hallway until he calmed down. But he continued full steam ahead, bouncing into the room where his family was, little Benjen not far behind.

“…I just wish you would stop the smoking.” Cat can hear a man speaking, its soft and has a soothing tone to it, like the kind of person who could talk to you and it would feel just as comforting and peaceful as someone singing you to sleep. She rounds the corner into the room behind the two boys and has her very first view of the Stark family. She hovers awkwardly at the doorframe, not want to enter what could be some sort of family argument without even being introduced yet.

 The first thing she notices is a young girl, who she assumes to be Lyanna, sprawled across one of the couches, a magazine in hand and seeming thoroughly uninterested in whoever is giving her grief for her smoking habit. She resembles Brandon quite a bit, she thinks, more than that of his youngest brother, the same long face and big grey eyes that can easily plead with someone to get their own way. An older man, Rickard, stands by the fire, age has affected him, seen by the lines across a face that one can see used to be very attractive. It’s something about his eyes that catches Cat’s attention, so much like the look in her own father’s. Sad. Faraway.  

She doesn’t notice Ned Stark until last, when he turns from placing wood on the fire to face towards the rest of the room. He looks the Brandon the most, the same straight nose and square-set jaw, but there’s something about his face that’s altogether a little plainer than that of his brother’s. He’s also the shaggiest looking of the Starks, where the others are clean shaven, Ned sports a slightly longer hair-do and what looks to be a few days scruff on his face.

“Brandon!” His father calls, a grin appearing on his face. At his cry, Lyanna leaps off the couch and skips towards her brother to give him a hug. Ned, she notices, makes no move. Instead, his gaze is fixed upon her, a strange expression on his face and an intense look in his eyes. Cat’s sure she’s never been looked at this intensely in her entire life, but for whatever reason, his stare is not uncomfortable. It makes her grow warm from somewhere inside and she almost forgets the whole reason she’s here. For the very first time in her life, Catelyn Tully feels like she’s been seen.

 “And who is this?” It’s these words and the touch on her arm from Brandon afterwards that brings her attention back to the rest of the room. She turns to face Rickard and Lyanna, both looking at her with matching grey eyes and curious expressions. She tries to pull off a nice smile but fears it looks wrong with her face turning the same colour as her hair. “This is Cat.” Brandon introduces her simply and causes a flicker of recognition to cross both of their faces.

“Cat! We were beginning to doubt your existence! No girls’ ever convinced Brandon to go meet her family before, we’re impressed at your efforts to tame him.” Cat laughs a little as Rickard pulls her into a hug, feeling more at ease then she did when she entered the room. “I assure you, I’m not entirely sure how I did it either, but he seemed to enjoy the experience. He even managed to get my little brother speaking to him a little by the end of it.”

That earned her a laugh from Rickard, a rich sound which seemed to fill the entire room and made you feel warm, much like the laugh of his eldest son, she thought.

She turned to Lyanna, who was eyeing her with a little suspicion, but she covered it up quickly when she caught Cat looking at her. She offered a smile and stuck out a hand for Cat to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman that Brandon decided worthy enough to properly introduce to the family – though there’s been no shortage of women who we’ve been _improperly_ introduced to –“

“Lyanna that’s enough.” Rickard reprimanded, giving his daughter a stern look as she stalked abruptly out of the room. Cat shook her head as he started to offer up an apology. “Don’t worry about it, my own sister was less than pleased when meeting Brandon, so I suppose its fair that I get a little bit of a hard time.” Though, Lysa’s disapproval had less to do with her own opinion and rather that of Petyr Baelish, who’d been utterly shocked she’d brought a boyfriend home. For what reason, however, Cat didn’t know. She’d always harboured brotherly feelings for her longtime neighbour and childhood playmate, so his dislike of Brandon came as a complete surprise. One she’d hoped to get to the bottom of next time she saw him.

“Ned, come say hello to your brother and Catelyn.” At Rickard’s mention of him, she turns back to where Ned stood. He didn’t seem to have moved since she’d last looked in his direction and he still seemed to be looking at her, at the mention of his name, however, he seems to snap out of whatever daydream he was in. He offered a tight smile to his brother and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. He only offered Cat an awkward nod before declaring he was off to make dinner and practically running from the room.

 _How strange_ , she thought.

  

* * *

 

Dinner was a tense affair, no matter how delicious it was. Both Ned and Lyanna spent most of the meal silent, Ned only muttering a thank you when she’d complimented his cooking and Lyanna only ever spoke to Brandon directly, ignoring Cat’s presence. It fell to Brandon to fill the silences, catching the family up on their time at Riverrun and some of his time spent at the university.

After dinner, herself and Brandon excused themselves to their room to finish unpacking and she was hoping to also catch some rest. She entered the room and flopped onto the bed, letting out a long breath. “That could have gone better.”

Brandon cocked an eyebrow at her from where he sat at the end of the bed, presumably looking a for a packet of condoms, which he fished out with a triumphant grin. Cat wondered where he found the energy, she was exhausted, and she hadn’t spent the entire day driving here. “It went fine.”

“ _Fine?_ Brandon, your sister hates me.”

“But my father and Ben like you - and Ned, he liked you too.”

“He hardly spoke two words to me.”

“I told you, he’s just a quiet guy. He liked you, I could tell.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.” She replied dryly, letting out another sigh. “It’s just my entire family were charmed by you the moment you walked in the door, even Edmure, who was asking you not to leave by the end of it. Lysa didn’t start disliking you until Petyr stuck his nose in, but your sister hated me straight away and I didn’t even say a word!”

He sighed, running a hand across his face. It was always the same with him, all fun and games until things got serious and then he would just shut off and become cold. She could tell her insecurities about the visit were draining him from the deflated way in which he flopped down on the bed next to her.

Suddenly, the light flicked off and she felt Brandon climb under the covers. “Just go to sleep, we’ll speak later.” She turned to face him, but he was already facing away from her, the condom packet lay forgotten on the floor.

For the first time since she got here, Winterfell felt cold.

* * *

 

Its sometime later when Cat awakes once more, shivering from the chill in the room. She glances at Brandon but finds that he’s still facing away from her, which makes her feel even colder. She tosses and turns a little to no avail, not able to heat herself up even when she’s cocooned in blankets. With a sigh, she got out from the covers and slipped her feet into her slippers. She grabbed her book from her bedside table and went downstairs.

Luckily enough, Cat found the fire still burning. With a happy sigh, she popped another log on the fire to keep it going and she pulled the cover off the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself. Already feeling warmer, she tucked her legs underneath herself and buried herself in her book.

It’s not long before she hears rustling and footsteps, she glances up to see Ned enter the living room, arms full of presents. She watches in amusement as he struggled to carry the load of gifts, she places her book down and pulls the blanket off herself a little as she begins to get up.

“Need a hand?”  

He startles at her voice, clearly not expecting anyone to be up at such a late hour. Before he can answer her, she’s already in front of him, taking some of the gifts from him and placing them under the tree.

“Thank you. I hide my presents in the garage. Lyanna always tries to find them, but she never goes in the garage, so it’s a safe bet to hide them there every year.” He crouches down beside her and they both continue to tuck the presents under the tree. “Edmure, my little brother is the same, I always hide mine in the basement, he’s still scared to go down there.”

She turns to face him and finds him looking at her in that intense way again, she feels a blush rising to her cheeks and glances away. “You must be freezing, come sit by the fire a minute, we’ll heat you up.”

She feels him hesitate as she gets up, once she’s on the sofa, Cat pats the space next to her and offers a small smile.

“Really, its alright. This is a pretty mild winter anyway, I’m sure I’ll be fine once I’m back in bed –“

“ _Mild?_ ” She asked incredulously, instinctively pulling the blanket tighter around herself. He chuckled at that. Just like his brother and father, his laugh was an incredibly warm sound, but it was not one that warmed the whole room. His laughter was something that only warmed the person who received it, something she thought was special. Cat felt as though she’d been given a gift.

She patted the spot next to her again. “Please sit, I could use the company. Victorian Britain isn’t as good company as you think.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Victorian Britain?” He shrugged off his jacket and placed it on the back of the sofa before he sat down next to her. “History student.” She said by way of explanation, gesturing towards her book. “But I can’t say the Reform Riots is putting me in a particularly Christmas mood.”

That earns her another small laugh and she feels a warmth blossom in her once more. They lapse into silence and she watches the flames dance for a while, finding comfort in the fact that she’s not sitting alone.

 “She doesn’t hate you, you know.”

Cat turns to face him, he’d said it so quietly she almost wasn’t sure that he’d spoken at all. But she was sure she’d heard him say it. “Who?”

“Lyanna. You seemed worried about it earlier, but don’t be. She’s just…off with you because Brandon brought you home and he’s never done that before. She’s used to being the number one girl in his life, but you coming here with him shows that something’s different…you’re different. And I think Lya feels that you threaten the balance of things here, but she’ll come around. You’ll see.”

She looks at him, a grateful smile forming on her face. _Why couldn’t Brandon say that?_ She idly wonders. Where he fears had been ignored by Brandon, Ned had managed to make them smaller, not make them disappear altogether, but shrink them into something small and manageable, to tuck away in the back of your mind.

As she continues to look at him, she notices how handsome he really is. She’d initially dismissed him as plainer than his brother, but as she watches the shadows dance along his features, Cat notices how his square-set jaw and grey eyes give a warm appearance, despite the stony mask she’d saw on him earlier.

“Thank you, Ned.”

He offers her a smile and, just like that, Winterfell felt warm again.


	3. Lonely Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ned and Cat spend some time together

**_Summer, 1998_ **

Ned sighed as he flicked off the TV, officially bored and home alone on a Saturday night. He’d originally planned to spend the night with Robert, but he’d cancelled in favour of a date and Ned honestly couldn’t have been relieved about that fact. It’s not that he didn’t like the man, Robert was his best friend since they met in primary school, but the man could sure as hell be exhausting, especially when he was drinking. But just because he didn’t want to go out with Robert, it didn’t mean he wanted to spend the evening on his own. He thought about going to bed, it was already ticking close to one in the morning, but he didn’t feel tired. With a sigh, he decided to go to bed anyway, it’s not like he had anything better to do anyway.

He’d just got up when he heard the phone start ringing, he answered with a frown, wondering who would be calling him at this hour. “Hello?”

“Ned! Fantastic, you’re awake, listen I need a favour.” His brother’s voice yelled down the phone, trying to be heard over the loud music blaring in the background. “What kind of favour?” Ned asked, a frown forming on his face, already not liking the direction that the conversation was heading in, knowing that a _favour_ from his brother could only mean he needed Ned to clean up a mess he’d made.

“Listen, I was supposed to pick Cat up from this party, but Ashara invited me out for a few drinks, and then that turned into a few more drinks. Plus, I think we’re going to hit a few more places before the night is done, so would you mind going to pick up Cat for me?”

Ned felt anger and annoyance burn inside him. He’d honestly thought Brandon a changed man when he’d brought Cat home to Winterfell at Christmas, he’d never made such a step with someone before and it signalled something was different this time. That had lasted only a few more months before Brandon had fell back in touch with Ashara Dayne and had started drinking and partying heavily again. But the difference is instead of just letting the girl go, he seemed to want to keep Cat around. Ned reasoned it was because it was the only time he’d ever seen his father _pleased_ with one of Brandon’s romantic prospects and, wanting to stay on his father’s good side, Brandon decided to keep stringing Catelyn along.

He wanted to say no, to not clean up his brother’s mess. But then he imagined Cat standing alone late at night with no one coming to pick her up, wondering where in the _hell_ her boyfriend was. He squeezed his eyes shut, pushing the image aside as it caused an odd sort of pain within him.

Ned had been attracted to her since he’d first laid eyes on her in Winterfell. He’d thought Ashara Dayne to be a beautiful woman before he’d met Catelyn Tully. She still was, but her beauty did not compare to the way the fire had made it looked like the flames had danced in Cat’s hair instead of among the logs as they talked that night. They’d stayed up later than either of them intended, talking about everything and nothing. He can’t remember ever being able to talk to someone he’d just met so much, he was a quiet man by nature, but something about her had put him inexplicably at ease.

Since then however, he’d retreated inside himself around her. He willed his face not to betray his growing attraction, though he’d only met her another handful of times. Ned was drawn to her, like the way he’d been drawn to Ashara, before Brandon swooped in. But the draw he felt to Catelyn was stronger, and he simultaneously hated his brother for meeting her first and loved him for bringing her home to them. He could easily see why Brandon was attracted to her, she had a sharp wit and was an extremely intelligent woman. She also cared deeply for her family, a fact which he gathered from just listening to her talk about her siblings over dinner.

Ned sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that he would relent to what Brandon wanted, just like he always did. “And just where am I meant to tell her you are?”

He could practically hear the wolf-like grin appearing on his brother’s face on the other end of the phone. “Just tell her I had to help dad with work stuff. Thanks, Ned! I owe you one, you’re a lifesaver.” He gives the address to Ned, which is hastily scribbled down before the line goes dead and Brandon presumably throws himself back into the nightlife of whatever shoddy establishment he finds himself in tonight.

The whole drive there, Ned tries not to think of the last time she’d been in his car. It was after another party, except Brandon had attended this one and asked Ned for a ride home afterwards, which he agreed to and Robert decided to accompany. He had to suffer the whole drive back to his apartment with Brandon feeling up Catelyn in the backseat, something that seemed to make her extremely uncomfortable with an audience, especially while Robert made crude comments the whole time. He’d picked up the phone to apologise the next morning, but nothing seemed sufficient – _Hey I’m sorry my brother and best friend are assholes, but I think you’re beautiful_ didn’t sound like something she would want to hear. So, he’d given up and had barely been able to look at her when she next came around to Sunday night dinner, ashamed that he hadn’t been able to do anything to protect her honour from his brother’s wandering hands and Roberts cruel japes.

Ned pulls into the street Brandon gave him and can immediately see that it is the right one. Cars line the road and there is people scattered across the garden, swaying off-beat to some tune that is playing too loudly. It occurs to him that Catelyn probably doesn’t expect him to show up and will be instead looking for Brandon’s car, not his. He parks the car at the next available space he sees and shuts of the engine, exiting the car after he does so. Ned spots her almost straight away, her auburn hair casting a glow from the street light as she sits on the stairs, a man he recognises as Jaime Lannister sits next to her. A brief frown crosses his face and he wonders what on earth the two could possibly be speaking about. He dismisses the thought as quickly as it came, telling himself that its no business of his who Catelyn choses to associated with, that _she_ is no business of his.

She looks up and her eyes find him and, even from a distance, he can see the hurt and confusion briefly flicker across her face. He raises his hand in an apologetic half wave as she starts towards him, pulling her shawl closer around her and seeming to draw more inside herself. He curses Brandon for taking this bright, vibrant woman and making her seem duller somehow, but then again, his brother never stopped to look at the havoc he wrecked in his wake.

“Dad needed Brandon’s help with work stuff.” Ned offers as way of explanation, but from the way her eyes flash cold he can tell that she knows it’s a lie. She nods, and he opens the car door, the only indicator that she’d been drinking was her slight stumble as she started to climb in, but he quickly caught her and helped her inside.

He chances a glance over at her, she looks utterly breathtaking. The blue dress she’s wearing sets off the blue of her eyes and hugs her curves in all the right places, her long hair rests in soft curls down her back which his hands just itch to touch.

Ned pulls his thoughts away from her, instead trying to focus on manoeuvring his car out the busy street. But even when he’s trying to focus on something else, he can’t help but steal a sideways glance towards her.  “Good party?” He asks lamely, hating the sad look on her face and the worried way that she’s chewing her lip.

“What – oh! Yes, it was alright.” She answers after a beat, his voice seeming to snap her out of whatever thought trail she was pursuing. “I hope Brandon didn’t have to wake you to come get me.”

He shook his head, not wanting her to feel any guilt for him having to come get her. _Brandon should be the one feeling guilty._ “No, don’t worry about it. I was still awake.”

They lapse into another silence and Ned curses himself for not being more like his siblings, who would know what to say to wipe the hurt look on her face. Benjen would be talking non-stop and she would look at him in that fond way she always does, a smile playing on her lips. Lyanna still was unsure of Cat’s presence in their lives, but he knows she would be kind to her now and would be making jokes at his or Brandon’s expense, drawing the musical sound of her laughter from her lips.

He does not think of what Brandon would do, he was the one to put that look on her face in the first place.

He drives by a sign for a 24-hour diner and an idea strikes. He doesn’t want to send her home feeling hurt and wounded, so maybe he’d be able to make her feel better by sitting down for some food and if not, at least he’d know she’d had something to eat.

Ned pulls into the diner before he can think better of it, he sees a confused look crossed Catelyn’s face and he gives a small shrug. “You’ve been drinking all night, I thought you could use something to eat.”

He holds in a breath as he waits for an answer, praying that this will work. After a moment, she nods, a strange expression on her face. It’s not an exactly a smile, but he sees the corner of her mouth tug slightly upwards and it’s a hell of a lot closer to a smile than the look on her face before.

They’re seated and someone comes to take their orders pretty quickly. But apart from that, a painful silence still rests between them and she continues to anxiously chew her bottom lip. Ned hates this, he’s never the one to fill silences, but whenever the two had been found alone together, she’d always been the one to fill the silence between them.

The waitress delivers their food and he briefly wonders if they’re going to spend the whole meal in an awkward silence. “Excuse me.” He turns to the waitress, she turns back towards them, quirking an eyebrow as she asks. “Is there a problem?”

He’s vaguely aware he has no idea what he’s doing, that this plan could entirely backfire and he’s no good at telling jokes as it is. But this is the only plan he has and he’s nothing if not determined to break the awkwardness that lingers between them. “Yeah, there’s something wrong with my BLT, I think you better call a hambulance.”

The waitress rolls her eyes and walks away, and Ned inwardly cringes at his own joke. But beautifully, mercifully, a laugh bubbles from Catelyn and she’s gently shaking her head at him from across the table. He’s so pleased to finally draw a little happiness from her that there’s nothing he can do but smile back.

And after that, conversation flows freely between them. They’re laughing at everything and nothing. They end up staying at the diner later than either of them intended, just passing the time.

It much later when he finally drops her off at her house, the sky already beginning to turn light. She has her hand on the car door when she turns back to face him.

“Hey, Ned? Thanks for cheering me up tonight.” With that he looks at her, her hair is now slightly mused, and her lipstick had been chewed from her lips, but she’s still beautiful, so he answers honestly, because he prides himself on being an honest man. “It was my pleasure.”

With that, she opens the car door and disappears into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to posting! The next chapter will skip forward a few years, to really get the ball rolling on some stuff because I feel its moving kind of slow, but I wanted to post this because it establishes things for the future.


	4. Oh darlin', the fool you made of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat makes a discovery and everything changes.

**Autumn, 2001**

The next few years pass in much of the same fashion, Brandon spends his nights partying with Ashara Dayne or Barbrey Ryswell or whoever else happens to tickle his fancy that week, and, more often than not, Ned would come by to clean up the messes Brandon leaves in his wake. The two of them sharing a cup of tea, sometimes talking, sometimes not, just glad to be in each other’s company.

Yet, Cat cannot bring herself to leave and she wonders why, frustrated at herself at becoming one of _those_ women, who let their boyfriends walk all over them. But then, thoughts of Benjen come to her mind, the first time he met Edmure and the two became thick as thieves. She thinks of Lyanna, the first time she warmed to her, a peace offering in the form of a lemon cake after Cat had been caught in the middle of one of Rickard and Brandon’s fights. She thinks of Ned, with his warm eyes and guarded smiles and she knows why she cannot leave. The Starks have become her family, each of them have wormed their way inside her heart and the thought of leaving them cuts deeper than a knife. So, she stays and a voice in her head that sounds a lot like her father chants. _Family. Duty. Honour._

Her relationship with Ned is easily the strangest of all the Stark siblings. She no longer thinks him cold as she did when they first met, each time he came to clean up Brandon’s mess thawed that image piece by piece. Yet, four years later when she feels she has come to know the man behind the stony exterior, he sometimes gets this look on his face, unreadable, and the cold man she thought didn’t exist anymore once again makes an appearance.

But that still doesn’t explain her current predicament.

Unbidden, her thoughts once more land on Lyanna. The normally loud and boisterous girl had withdrew into herself as of late and whispers of Rhaegar Targaryen follow her around. She had been in a relationship with Ned’s rambunctious friend Robert Baratheon until a few months ago, were Lyanna abruptly ended things. It was then that the rumours started, that’d she had begun seeing her former English teacher, her _married_ formed English teacher. And last time Cat had seen her she could have sworn that she looked rounder, her normally lithe form giving way to some curves.

Cat did not tell her suspicions to her brother’s however, knowing that telling them may do more harm than good.

Cat now stares at the row in front of her, the five twin sets of pink lines staring at her mockingly, standing out in contrast to the white tiles on the floor.

She’s pregnant.

She’d called Brandon an hour ago, telling him that something important had come up and he needed to come over right away, he’d promised to stop by on his way home from work.

She has to tell him, it won’t be real until she tells him and a part of her is terrified about how he’ll react, he won’t know what to do. No one would, with her only 22 and him only just having turned 25, no one knows what to do with an unplanned pregnancy at this age.

_Ned would,_ a traitorous voice whispers, _Ned always knows what to do_.

She wonders what her father would think. She wonders what Hoster Tully, honourable, proud, patron of his church Hoster Tully would think of his daughter getting pregnant and not being married first.

The clicking of the front door pulls her from her thoughts. She brings herself to move from the bathroom floor as she hears Brandon’s voice call out to her, she briefly takes in her appearance. It’s clear she’s been crying from her red-rimmed eyes and her hair it tousled from her frustrated tugging as she waited for test after test to come back with the same positive result, she looks a right sight, but cannot bring herself to care at the moment. There are more important matters to be discussed.

She pulls herself out of the bathroom and finds him in the fridge, looking for a beer, she assumes as he rambles about his day at work. It’s not until he looks up that he notices her, a frown forming on his face as he takes in her appearance. A lot can be said about Brandon – he cheats, he drinks too much, but it cannot be said that he doesn’t care.

She remembers a party around a year or so ago, where Petyr Baelish had been in attendance. It’s where she’d finally gotten her answers about why he’d disapproved of Brandon so much, shoving her hand up her skirt and telling her that he loved her despite her protests for him to stop. Luckily enough, Brandon had found them there and, in a blind fit of jealousy and rage, had beaten Petyr half to death, only stopping at her own cries. Lysa had said that she must have spurred Petyr on for him to behave in such a way and when Cat had denied any encouragement of his behaviour, Lysa had through a fit of her own. Throwing all kinds of accusations at her, when Brandon had eventually reappeared after having his knuckles checked by the paramedics, he grabbed her hand and took her home without a word, Lysa’s screams following them as they left.

It was perhaps the most tender moment of their relationship that followed, he’d taken her home and drawn her a bath, carefully washing her body and hair before wrapping her in a towel and tucking her into bed. 

They didn’t speak of it again.

She can see that same concern now that he displayed that night, his brows furrowed together, and lips pulled into a thin line. He crosses the room towards her and cups her face, his eyes soft as he looks down at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m pregnant.” The words come out chocked, barely above a whisper and as soon as she says them, everything shifts and the world as they knew it is changed forever. It becomes real and the words hang heavy in the air between them.

He instantly drops his hands from her face and steps back as if he’s been burned. She watches his face, frozen in an expression of shock and horror for an undeterminable amount of time.

He stays silent and it’s not the reaction she’d expected. Brandon was never one to be silent, always the centre of attention, life of the party. Brandon Stark lit up a room and that was largely due to his loud voice and booming laughter. His silence now scares her, because at least when he’s talking she knows what he’s thinking. But his guarded eyes and silence give no indication what so ever of what could be going on in his head. His silence scares her.

“You’re certain?” He asks after what feels like forever, his voice now sounding as quiet as hers had moments ago.  Cat nods her confirmation, still unable to find her voice, thinking of the five tests that lay in a neat line on the bathroom floor. He exhales loudly, turning away from her and running a hand through his hair.

“Okay.” He says as exhales, beginning to pace the floor as he continues to run his hands through his hair. “Okay.” He repeats, his voice slowly returning to its normal volume.

Everything moves in turmoil after that, he grabs her hand and leads her towards the couch. He kneels in front of her and looks at her, his grey eyes looking so vulnerable and raw and, maybe for the first time in their relationship, Cat knows exactly how Brandon feels.

He’s as terrified as she is.

“Marry me.”

Whatever she thought Brandon’s reaction would be, it wasn’t this. She’s astounded, she doesn’t know what to say and a part of her wants to laugh because he’s not kneeling right, he’s kneeling on both knees instead of one, like they do in the movies. It’s not the proposal that you see in the movies, with the beautiful background music and one hundred rose petals scattered around the room. Cat certainly never thought she’d be proposed to in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, her eyes still red and puffy from crying. And they don’t love each other, not like they’re supposed to, yet there is enough feeling left between them that it still stings every time he goes out with another girl and maybe that’s more than some people ever get.

She looks at him, his face every bit as handsome as it had been when they’d met four years ago and whispers “okay.”

* * *

 

Ned watches his brother roll the dice, his eyes lighting up when he landed on the nearest train station eagerly asking Lya if he can purchase it.

It was Stark family game night – sans their father, who was working late and Brandon, who was god knows where. Normally, Ned could breathe a sigh of relief when his brother skipped a game night in favour of doing something Brandon deemed more interesting as it meant that he didn’t need to suffer through Brandon alluding to his other conquests while he thought of Cat sitting home alone. On these nights, entertainment is normally found in the form of Lyanna, but even she didn’t seem herself these days.

Just as he was wondering how long they’d let the game continue to keep Ben happy, he saw Brandon appear in the doorway, his suit dishevelled and his face looking a little ashen. “Is Dad here?”

“No.” Lyanna answered frowning, clearly wondering about his current state as much as Ned was. “What the hell happened to you?”

He watched as Brandon flopped onto the sofa, before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. “I asked Cat to marry me.”

Whatever they had been expecting him to say, it wasn’t that. Ned half expected that Cat had finally called him out on his cheating or that Barbrey had expressed her intent for him to leave his girlfriend for her once more. But no, the solemn expression on his usually cheerful brother’s face had been because he’d asked the one girl in his life who was worth anything to marry him.

“What?” Lyanna looks as shocked as Ned feels, her eyes wide as she tries to digest the news that just fell upon their laps. Brandon shoots a venomous look, making it clear that he did not appreciate Lyanna’s reaction, Ned frowned at that, because while his brother was prone to tempers and bad moods, he was never mean to their sister.

“Don’t act so shocked. We’ve been together for years now, it’s time I settled down, father’s been nagging about popping the question to her for long enough.” Brandon lounges back on the couch, trying to seem more relaxed about the whole thing that he really was, his eyes cast towards the monopoly board with fake interest.

“And you always tell him to fuck off and mind his own business.” It Ned that speaks this time, wanting to piece the puzzle together as much as everyone else in the room. Things between Brandon and Rickard had begun to grow tense as of late, their father wanted Brandon to step up and take more responsibility, growing tired of his boyish antics. Brandon, well, remained Brandon, and defied their father at every turn.

Brandon sighs and runs a hand through his hair, looking tired and older than his years, which wasn’t something that happened to his brother, who always looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a teen magazine. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

Brandon’s lips draw to a thin line at his sister’s question, his eyes the colour of steel. “You know what, fuck all of you. Why can’t anybody be happy with what I do? I’m getting married to the girl I love and not one of you offer congratulations. I can’t seem to please anyone in this god damn family! Ned tells me that I’ve got to stop messing Cat around and Dad wants me to marry her – I’m doing both those things and not one of you are happy about it!”

He gets off the couch and leaves the room as quickly as he appeared. Ben looks shocked as he stares at the door through which Brandon had just left. Lyanna herself even looks shaken, so unused to her brother’s anger being aimed at her, he was normally defending something she had did to Rickard and Ned.

All Ned can think of is that he didn’t deny it. That Cat being pregnant was the most likely cause for this scenario, because even if his brother did cheat on her, he would not leave her alone in this, Brandon was a good man. Selfishly, Ned wonders what this means for him. Would his weekends with Cat end? Their long chats -  and long silences - had been a source of comfort for him, he wasn’t a talkative person and often struggled to find words and somewhere along the way of picking her up when Brandon forgot and covering for him when she’d show up and his brother was already out with another girl, she understood that. He did not need to talk to her all the time to offer her comfort and friendship.

The thought of her marrying someone else and having their child should not pain him, but it does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOO this isn't the best tbh but I wanted to get this updated so here ya have it. 
> 
> Also I wrote an AU oneshot which I'm thinking of turning into a series. It's a Prostitute/Client AU which I made work in the cannon verse featuring Ned/Cat and I think I'm gonna try write it into a series. It was meant to be a small fluffy thing but now its an angst mess that I have lots of ideas about. So yeah, check it out, it's called the mockery we made of this life. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first Multichapter, so I pray for lovely comments and constructive criticism, I have a tumblr writing Blog also called BeforeDawnMuses were I'll post thoughts and snip bits about whats going on here. 
> 
> The title is from a James Blunt song by the same name, where I got some inspiration for this fic, so give it a listen! Also, this fic will be mostly consisted of flashbacks to show how they reached this point, with some present day drama included. The point of this first chapter is to kind of set everything up for the present day parts and just kind of let me get into the universe this fic is taking place in. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the little ride imma take you on, I do intend for future chapters to be a little longer than this.(PS anyone know of any beta readers would be much appreciated, as this fic is unbetaed and all mistakes are my own)
> 
> Thank you!


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